Who is today's Henry Fonda?

[Marc Chevalier]

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Henry Fonda. The man played such incredible roles: Abraham Lincoln, Tom Joad, Wyatt Earp, Lt. Col. Owen Thursday, Mister Roberts, the brave "juror #8" in Twelve Angry Men, Jethro Stuart, etc. He was even in a West German film named Fedora .


Why does no one ever mention Henry Fonda around here? Why does he not capture our fancy the way that Jimmy Stewart, William Powell and Cary Grant do?


Who is today's Henry Fonda? Cast my vote for Gary Sinise.


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[scotrace]

Who the devil is THAT?

 

[Feraud]

Who is today's Henry Fonda? Cast my vote for Gary Sinise.


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lol I was just about to type his name as I read your post!!
I second that vote. Sinise is a fine actor and from what I know (very little) of his personal life he comes off as a decent fellow.

Scotrace, Gary Sinise is probably most famous for playing "Capt. Dan" in Forrest Gump. He was also in Of Mice and Men(George), Apollo 13, Ranson, The Green Mile, and currently on television in one of those CSI shows.

 

[Simon82]

Maybe Tom Hanks or Jeff Bridges?

As a longtime Jimmy Stewart fan, I don't exactly see the link so many make to Tom Hanks as apt. I can't see Jimmy in "Forest Gump," "The DaVinci Code," "Philadelphia" and other roles. I *can* see how Fonda, who took a few more chances, may be more a match there.

Another leading man who shows the same versatility might be Jeff Bridges, who's played suave sophisticates and dirty low-lifes with the same honest conviction.

He's not in the same league as far as "star-power," but acting-wise, Gary Sinese is indeed a good choice.

 

[Lincsong]

Not with the current Hollywood crowd

Henry Fonda played a steady line up of roles for most of his career; the soft spoken, gentle mid-western man who stood up for the little guy. Jimmy Stewart played a variety of roles from Philadelphia Story to Shenandoah. He was laughable, he was funny, he was stern, he was firm. However, both men played also strong, patriarchal father figures. I don't think any actor today could convincingly play the roles that Fonda and Stewart played. And in today's Hollywood, having that type of role is anathema to filmmakers. Movie roles today are soft, weak, flawed and fey. Therefore I would say that no actor is today's Fonda.

 

[Jay]

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Who is today's Henry Fonda? Cast my vote for Gary Sinise.


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Kevin Costner

He played that guy with gills in WaterWorld, Elliot Ness in The Untouchables, Wyatt Earp, The Postman and Robin Hood.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

But Kevin Costner lacks that taut-faced, steely-eyed, lean, clenched-jaw quality that Fonda had (and Sinise also has).

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[carebear]

I can see Sinise in 12 Angry Men.

He does have that appearence of restrained passion.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Calm and restrained on the outside, taut and intense under the surface.


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[jake_fink]

Henry Fonda always had that look, the look of a man trapped in an elevator with someone who'd just broken wind. Sinise also has that look, so, yeah, Sinise is today's Henry Fonda.

But who is today's Henry Winkler?

 

[carebear]

But who is today's Henry Winkler?

The list is long, let's start with the ayyyyyys.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Henry Fonda always had ... the look of a man trapped in an elevator with someone who'd just broken wind.

Good point. His characters must have felt that way. Consider:


-- Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath. Trapped in a Great Depression that has just broken wind on him and his family.

-- Juror #8 in Twelve Angry Men. Trapped in a hot room with eleven other jurors who want to break wind on the defendant.


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[Matt Deckard]

Senise

 

[Hondo]

Henry Fonda played a steady line up of roles for most of his career; the soft spoken, gentle mid-western man who stood up for the little guy. Jimmy Stewart played a variety of roles from Philadelphia Story to Shenandoah. He was laughable, he was funny, he was stern, he was firm. However, both men played also strong, patriarchal father figures. I don't think any actor today could convincingly play the roles that Fonda and Stewart played. And in today's Hollywood, having that type of role is anathema to filmmakers. Movie roles today are soft, weak, flawed and fey. Therefore I would say that no actor is today's Fonda.

I also believe no body today could be or play Henry Fonda, these guys like Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne and a few others come only once in a life time. This man I hold in high esteem (I pattern my walk like Henry) I am trying to catch up with his early film roles. Watch John Fords “My Daring Clementine” or "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" some of the best westerns ever made with Henry Fonda. :eusa_clap

 

[lindylady]

I also believe no body today could be or play Henry Fonda, these guys like Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne and a few others come only once in a life time. This man I hold in high esteem (I pattern my walk like Henry) I am trying to catch up with his early film roles. Watch John Fords “My Daring Clementine” or "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" some of the best westerns ever made with Henry Fonda. :eusa_clap

I agree. With the exceptions of maybe George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, and Catherine Zeta Jones, there is no star quality to be found in Hollywood these days

 

[Lincsong]

Henry Fonda had an "every man" look to him. People watched him on the screen and he reminded them like the Metropolitan Life Agent, the butcher or the guy on the other side of the assembly line. Today's actors look "fake", not someone you'd run across in your every day travels.

 

[scotrace]

Everyman.
Denzel Washington.


Or maybe even more Fonda:

Morgan Freeman


(links to photos keep breaking)

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Sadly,IMHO,there seems to be no Fondas...or Grants today...or is it..a place for them? Now celebrity seems only a distorted image of "Movie Stars". Elegance has transformed into see-through. Past heros revealed as the real boobs. Average man...as streetwised fourletter worded always anti FatherKnowsBest militants. Perhaps...I'm too harsh.
At least we still have a Gene Hackman..Robert Duvall...Morgan Freeman...and sometimes a rare film with some decent values or storyline to lure them to.
HD

 

[Feraud]

The decent actors do not get the press. Who is to blame? Denzel Washington giving money to Boys & Girls Clubs or to help build military medical centers is not deemed "sexy" or newsworthy.
Celebrity news outlets acts as if their intrusive reporting is what "we" want.
Is that the case? Do we support the media that publishes nothing but Brittney Spears' marriage woes or who Lindsay Lohan is feuding with?
Does anyone read People, Star, US magazines?
Maybe it is out fault.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Fewer great actors are ending up as leading men and women. They seem to sticking to the character actor tier. Which is fine; as long as we get to see them. Heck, many character actors' careers last far longer than those of the "big stars".


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